Klarinet Archive - Posting 000846.txt from 2003/08
From: ormondtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: Re: [kl] Gezunt or Gezint
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2003 03:30:58 -0400
Eclef, here's a word of caution:
To most of us whose first language is English (American or British), the
strict interpretation of "in the blood" is that a person is genetically
better suited to the activity being discussed. Such a statement
borders on bigotry, although I doubt you intended such a thing.
What Dan is saying to you is that if you grow up with a certain genre of
music, you *may* play it a bit differently than someone who did not grow
up with it. So long as you don't go beyond this statement, I don't
think that Dan has any complaint.
There is a similar problem with the way you are using the word "soul."
To many of us, "playing with soul" means producing music that stimulates
deep emotion. You, however, appear to be equating "soul" with playing
in the traditional harmonies, rhythms, dynamics, etc.
It happens that tonight I heard a Caucasian man who was born and raised
in California play --- among other things --- (1) a native American
snake dance, (2) a Hebrew melody arranged by ancient Romans into a
military march and eventually adapted by Spanish monks of the Catholic
church as the basis for a Gregorian chant, and (3) a black American
spiritual played in ragtime-esque style. He played with such depth of
emotion that the audience gave him 3-4 minutes of uninterrupted standing
ovation.
Now if you define "less soul" as not playing the snake dance exactly the
way American Indians did 200 years ago, or as not playing the Roman
march exactly as the ancient Romans did, then I won't argue. But if
you attempt to say that the performer tonight was genetically unable to
draw heart-pounding emotion out of another culture's music, or to play
it in a manner appropriate to worshipping a snake god or to marching an
army, then you are wrong. During other concerts, I have heard the same
person play Japanese and South American music and achieve the same
results.
(Not to mention that he's 83 or 84 years old now, and he has played 200+
concerts --- full concerts without leaving the stage --- during the last
12 months. To say that he doesn't play "with soul" is ridiculous. My
heart is still thumping 2 hours after I left the theater.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is supported by Woodwind.Org, http://www.woodwind.org/
